The smog shrouding northern and eastern China has been forcing highway closures and flight cancellations during this Spring Festival travel rush.

 

　　The rail network has continued to operate normally.

 

　　Forecasters are predicting a fresh cold front will sweep into the central and eastern regions in the coming three days, which should help blow away the smog.

 

　　The smog has been creating an online debate about whether or not fireworks should be banned during the Lunar New Year's celebrations.

 

　　Professor Zhou Dadi, a member of the National Expert Team of China for Climate Change, says any decision about whether to ban fireworks should be made based on the weather conditions during the holidays.

 

　　"Even when the weather condition is good in Beijing, fireworks lead to serious pollution in a short period of time. But if everyone wants to set off fireworks, and unfortunately the weather condition is like what it is right now, it will become a big problem. People's health will be seriously affected. In that condition, whether fireworks can be allowed should be decided according to the specific situation."

 

　　PM 2.5 readings spiked above 200 during last year's New Year's eve celebrations largely due to fireworks.

 

　　During last year's Spring Festival, municipal authorities here in Beijing banned firecrackers in 64-thousand different areas and created a schedule to determine when fireworks could be set off.